Magmeters are used to measure volumetric flow of liquid through pipe. Proper installation requires that the inside diameter (ID) of the pipe match the ID of the magmeter. Accuracy suffers if the IDs do not match. Historically, the market for magmeters has been in the petrochemical industry, which uses piping of schedule 40 thickness. Thus, common magmeters have been designed with a schedule 40 ID.
Specifically, different chemical or biochemical reactions or processes have different pipe diameters, where pressure, flow rate, and other such variables can be both measured and regulated. For example, a brewing operation is a biochemical process that is very closely controlled for both sanitary and quality control reasons. Specifically, the regulation of flow rates is an important component to producing a quality product.
Accordingly, various industries, including the brewing industry, have lower line pressures than the petrochemical industry and have thinner standardized pipes (such as schedule 5 pipe), have larger IDs. For example, a standard, nominal 6-inch schedule 5 pipe for brewing applications would have a larger ID than a nominal 6-inch schedule 40 pipe. Additionally, the brewing industry, specifically, has a requirement to use sanitary piping systems. Thus, using a standard magmeter (dimensioned for schedule 40 pipe) in a brewing piping system (using schedule 5 pipe) introduces a step change in pipe diameter at the junction, which degrades the accuracy and introduces small stagnation points and crevices at junctions, which are potential locations for sanitary problems.
In the past, various manufacturers, such as Anheuser-Busch®, have used adapter sections in the pipe to connect to magmeters. This approach has been shown to have deficiencies for accuracy and for sanitary requirements. Therefore, manufacturers have been developing new techniques to install magmeters.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and/or apparatus for capitalizing on the efficiency of magmeters and other such measurement or interfacing components in conjunction with maintaining the requirements for the specific chemical or biochemical processes.